Modeling Wicked Problems

Most Anthropocene concerns are “wicked problems,” complex problems that defy a single answer and may never be solved definitively. They involve highly complicated systems that are impossible to fully know, much less control. Applying transdisciplinary systems models to problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, transition to renewable energy sources, or global food supply gives us useful heuristics while forcing us to think about complexity and to witness non-linear and counterintuitive outcomes.